About Us

Murray Irish Step is one of the most renowned and famous Irish dance schools. It is not just a school; it is a tradition
that has been passed on from generation to generation. Experience of more than four decades and passion
towards the art form makes us exceptional in every aspect that you could think of.

history of irish dance

As the name states it originated in Ireland around 2000 years ago. In the beginning, was a religious practice that was mainly performed to praise and worship oak tree and sun. This later turned into a cultural practice, and it became an integral part of the European and Irish culture.

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irish dance studios in the states

Murray Irish Step is one of the very few Irish dance schools in the States. With dedicated and passionate instructors we have made sure to give out best to every person who has stepped into our school.

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Types of Irish Dance

Irish Dance is a traditional dance form of Ireland and is performed in both, group as well as solo. The dance is performed for social events, performance purposes and for competitions too. The dancing is inspired in modern days from different other forms like French quadrille and English country dancing evolving into more beautiful form. The dance is taught for a particular period by a teacher travelling all the places in Ireland and also teaches other dance forms for different purposes. The Irish dance from became an important tradition and a part of Irish culture specially during the Nationalist movements. Many organizations promoted the dance form and encouraged to move into the standardised and structural dance style. They have succeeded in their part so far.

The Irish solo dance became popular from the dance show Riverdance and it includes the well-known dance style of Irish step-dancing. This is practices all across the Irish diaspora. The step-dancing is basically a dance from where the upper body is intricate and the foot works are majorly done. Other solo Irish dance forms are sean-nos dance which is more relaxed dance form and is performed as a social dance style, improvising dance pattern. The other solo Irish dance is festival Irish dance which was separated from the step-dancing in the late twentieth century.

Let us know about the different types, in a brief format:

Step-Dance;

It is an amazing representation of Irish culture and Ireland’s art. This dance form became a part of the most famous pop culture after Riverdance gained popularity and the fans started following the show seriously. The show gained the focus and hearts of millions of people and encouraged many fans and aspiring dancers into this dance form. The dance-form is very interesting to watch where people try to keep their upper body still and show some amazing footwork. Sometimes the footwork is so quick and seem so effortless, but actually when it comes to learning requires a lot of practices with the complexity it owns. The dance form Originated in the natives of Ireland and still stealing the show with the effortless execution and grace of the rhythm.

Sean-nos dance;

This is the old-style form of Irish dancing and has its origins from the western regions of Ireland. It is a very unique dance form and was only known in the small part of the Ireland till late twentieth century. It differs in the footwork where the work remains lower to the ground as compared to the step-dancing.

Top 10 tips for becoming a better dancer

Dancing cannot be described as it is not a pattern that the body follows, it is an art and the emotion your soul feels. People who are passionate about dancing can dance throughout the day without any sight line of tiredness, the only thing they need is stamina. Being a dance lover myself, I know how hard it gets to stop the tapping in the public place when I listen an upbeat song or a Punjabi tadka. The urge to dance and the weak resisting power is a clear signal that you love dancing. Dancing need not to be perfect, the most important thing is, you are dancing with your soul and not just because someone has told you to or someone has forced you into it. Dancing can be your escape from everything, it has a power to take you into another world where you are just complementing the tunes of the music with your beautiful steps. When I am too upset or in pain, emotionally I dance to the limit I go out of breath and literally need to sit down and catch some, during that time I forget everything and every bit of the problem I had to deal with and once I am done, giving all of them a great deal I get a courage to deal with them in much better manner. This is the power of dancing!

 

If you want to become a better dancer, below are mentioned few tips:

Find yourself a right dancing instructor: When the dancing instructor is well and knowledgeable enough to easily catch your mistakes and can correct them with accurate explanation, you must know you have got a perfect teacher.

Love It: You must feel nice while dancing. Though nice is an understatement, you must love it when you dance. The dedication is a key to success and it only comes with interest.

Perfect your posture: When you go on the stage as a performer, the scope of errors reduces. Postures are the most noticeable gesture and if not correct can deduct your points very easily. Hence, in every format you must try to adopt the perfect posture.

Stretch: When we dance, different muscles activate at different time. This might cause a strain over some particular muscle during some particular step. To avoid such strains, you must stretch your body first, to open it up on priority.

You should feel every movement you take and must perform, as if you own every bit of it.

You must avoid the feeling of anxiety and try to calm yourself down and relax.

Practice makes you perfect. The more you practice a routine the more it will induce in your body flow.

You must surround yourself with positive people.

Perform with confidence. You must not think about anything and concentrate on just Performane!

Fire the Floor with dance

Want to become a pro-Irish dancer? You have come to the right place. With our guidance and your dedication you will witness an evident difference.